12:08
by RecklessSummerNights
Summary: Rory makes a late night phone call to her boyfriend. Oneshot. Trory. Written for a BuildAFic challenge.


AN:This was written as a challenge for http://community. (you can see the guidelines there. This was written for cycle one.) Check them out! They're great! Anyways, it's definitely not the best thing I've ever written but I consider it a cute bit of little fluff.

Disclaimer:I don't own GG or Build-A-Fic. Just this story.

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I tossed and turned. It was nearly impossible to sleep without him next to me. We've been together for three years now, ever since I graduated from Yale and him from Princeton. It was such a coincidence that we'd met. I almost got pizza that night, but I'd decided on Chinese instead. And when I went to the shop down the street to pick it up, he was there picking up his own food.

After going back to my apartment and talking for three straight hours, things just progressed and we ended up dating. I don't know what I'd do without him.

After smiling at the memories of the beginning of our relationship, I rolled over again and stared at the bright red lights on the clock beside the bed. 12:07 A.M. I closed my eyes to calculate. If it was 12:07 here, it would be 9:07, wait, make that 9:08, in Washington. Not too late to call. Then again, even if it was four in the morning where he was, I would call.

I grabbed my cell phone from the nightstand and held down number one until it the line began ringing. I smiled already in anticipation, waiting for him to answer. I couldn't wait to hear his voice.

"Hey, what are you still doing up?" he asked.

"God, Tristan, do you think I'm eighty?" I teased. "I can still be up at 12:09."

"How precise of you. But I'm going to have to say its still 12:08 there."

I shook my head even though he couldn't see me. "Nope. Maybe the minutes change in the time zones too."

"Yeah." I could hear the sarcasm dripping off of his words as he spoke. "By fifteen seconds per time zone."

"Shut up." I mumbled." I'm tired and I can't sleep and I'm not in the mood to be made fun of."

"So you were trying to sleep!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah."

"Ha!"

"Get over yourself and help me sleep."

"Yeah, okay. I'll be there in ten minutes."

I rolled my eyes. "I wish. But seriously, tell me something happy."

The line was silent as he thought. All I could hear was his breath, in and out, slowly.

"Well," he suggested, "I could tell you what I did today."

I wrinkled my nose. He was away on business after all. "Is it boring?"

"Why do you assume that what I did was boring? Maybe it was very exciting."

"Was it?"

A pause. "No."

"Ha!" It was my turn to be triumphant.

"Fine then." He challenged, "What did you do today that was so interesting?"

"Well," I dragged the word out slowly before beginning, "I woke up around ten."

"Lazy."

"And I made some coffee and ate some cereal. Cocoa Pebbles with Peanut Butter Captain Crunch."

"Disgusting."

"While I ate I read the paper. Did you know that the Detroit Lions won yesterday?"

"Actually it was the Tigers. Football season hasn't officially begun yet."

I sighed. "Whatever. Do you want to hear the rest or not?"

"Will it help you sleep?"

I pondered this. "Probably not."

"Go ahead." He sighed.

I smiled. He knew me so well.

"Anyways," I continued, "After that, I called Mom, and we talked for about two hours. We went shopping."

"You shopped over the phone again?"

"Yep. We hit all the best online stores."

"Gee, great."

"No sarcasm, please. You'll be drooling when you see how amazing I look in my new clothes."

"You bet. Especially after seeing that shirt you and Lorelai both bought last time you shopped together online. The one you both wore on Christmas."

"Yeah, I'll admit, that was a pretty fugly shirt."

"Fugly?"

"Yeah, it means--"

"Stop!" Tristan cut me off. "I know what it means."

"I could explain it for you again. Maybe you only think you know what it means."

"Trust me. I know."

"Really? 'Cause I love that word now. So you better. Also, I love the word fumped."

"Fumped?"

I smiled. "Bet you don't know that one."

"Nope. I'll admit it. You got me with fumped."

"Well, that's because Lane and I made it up."

"Going to tell me what it means?"

"Freaking pumped." I informed him, choosing the cleaner definition.

"Of course."

"It means excited."

"Got it."

I grinned. "I love how you put up with me."

"Well, if I didn't, no one else would."

"Hey!" I exclaimed in fake anger, "I'll have you know there are plenty of guys out there who would love to date me. You should consider yourself lucky, Mister."

"I know, Ror."

"Really? You know guys who want to date me?"

"I guess."

"Names please."

"So you can dump me and call them up? No way."

"I wouldn't dump you for any of those guys. Unless one of them was Ashton Kutcher or some other hot, rich actor."

"I guess you'll never know," he teased.

"Fine." I pretended to pout.

"What next?" he asked.

I continued easily. "And after that, I decided I should actually try and accomplish something."

"Wow."

"So," I ignored his comments and kept going, "I decided that I was going to make cookies for Lane. She's sick."

"If she wasn't she would be."

"Shut up."

"And may I ask how they turned out?"

I glanced through the open bedroom door toward the kitchen where my mess still sat. There was a cookie sheet on the floor, a mixing bowl with cookie dough on the counter, flour and cookie dough everywhere, including the ceiling.

"No, you may not." I replied.

"Is the kitchen a mess?"

"Well, I know how much you like cleaning."

"Oh yeah. It's my favorite way to pass time," he said sarcastically.

"I knew it."

"Did you burn yourself?"

I glanced down at my left index finger. "Maybe."

"How bad?"

"Not very."

"Did you put Neosporin and a Band-Aid on it?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Hey! I'm just trying to make sure you're okay!"

I giggled and sat up in bed, even more awake than before. "I know. Thanks."

"So what'd you do after that?"

"Um, I think I watched a soap opera. I don't know which one. And I don't know what was going on. But it was interesting."

He laughed. "Wow, I miss you so much, Mare."

"I know. I would miss me too."

He laughed again but didn't say anything.

"I miss you too." I added.

The line was quiet for a while, both of us just listening to the other breathe and wishing we could be together.

"Okay then," Tristan broke the silence first. "What did you do next? Did you get anything else accomplished?"

"Sort of."

"What does sort of mean?"

"It means I tried to help, but I just made another mess." I admitted sheepishly.

"Where?"

"The bathroom."

"What did you do?"

"Why do I feel like I'm about to get lectured?"

"You won't." Tristan promised. "I'm just curious. I miss being there to see you do all these things and make all these messes."

I smiled. I like hearing that he misses me. Even if it's for my eccentricities.

"Okay. If you promise."

"I do." He assured me.

I took a deep breath before spilling out what I did in one long, run-on sentence, "I tried to change the light bulb above the sink 'cuz it went out yesterday and I couldn't get it to come out so I grabbed a hammer and tried to knock it out but I just shattered the glass and I was so surprised I dropped the hammer in the toilet and it's stuck."

Tristan burst out laughing. I glared at him in the picture of the two of us on the wall.

"I--you--oh my god!" Tristan could barely breathe, he was laughing so hard.

"Shut up!" I whimpered, trying to gain sympathy. "Do you know how awkward it was to have to go next door and ask that old man who hates us for always being too loud if I could use his bathroom? And then when he asked why I had to tell him and he just laughed at me!"

Tristan managed to stop laughing, but I could still hear the amusement in his voice, "Did he let you use the bathroom?"

"Eventually."

Tristan snickered again.

"Stop it. If you were here, none of it would have happened!"

Tristan sobered instantly. "I'm sorry."

I sighed, sad for making him feel bad. "Don't be. You aren't responsible. It was me."

"I'm sorry for not being there."

I slid my eyes shut and leaned my head against the headboard. "It's not your fault. It's for work, right? You have to work. Especially if I keep going online shopping with Mom."

There was no response to my comment or lame joke.

"Tris, come on," I insisted.

"I don't want to be here," he admitted.

"I don't want you there either, but there's nothing we can do. You can't lose your job. You love that job."

Another silence.

"Tristan?"

"I'm quitting." Tristan whispered.

My jaw fell open, "What? No! Why would you do that!?"

"Ror, they have me traveling all the time. I miss you like crazy! The job would be perfect if I could just stay in New York, but I can't and I hate it!"

He did sound miserable as he described the job, and I knew how much I hated it too. I had just encouraged him to stick with it because I thought he loved it and would only be quitting because of me. And I didn't want that.

"Babe, are you sure?"

"I already got another job offer." Tristan admitted.

"Really?" I was a little surprised that he'd looked so far into it. "Where at?"

"Johnson and Cohen."

"Which is?" I prompted.

"In Hartford."

I was elated. "We can move to Hartford?!"

"If you want to. I mean, there's your job to consider too."

"My job? My job is so not worth staying here for. New York sucks! I want to go back home!"

"Stars Hollow. I know."

"You bet. Hey, you know what?"

"What?" Tristan asked.

I grinned, "We could live in Stars Hollow. And drive to work everyday. I'm willing if you don't mind."

There was a pause and I waited impatiently, worried Tristan wouldn't go for the idea.

"Start house hunting, Mare."

I squealed loudly, ignoring the protesting moan on Tristan's end of the line. I got out of bed and did a little dance before crawling back in. Good thing Tristan wasn't here to see that lame happy dance.

"Mare?"

"Yeah?"

Tristan sighed, "I really have to go, Babe. My boss has called three times while I was talking to you."

"Okay." I was sad, but with the news Tristan had just given me I knew I could make it. "I love you."

"I love you too. You going to be able to sleep now?"

I glanced at another picture in the room. One of me and Mom in front of our Stars Hollow house.

"Yeah." I smiled widely. "Thanks Tristan."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow and see you in a few days, okay?"

"'Kay. Night."

"Night."

I hung up the phone, turned off the lamp, and slid under the covers, pulling them tightly around my chin. As excited as I was, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. But it didn't matter anymore. I wasn't unable to fall asleep because I was sad and lonely but because I was too excited.

I glanced at the clock again. 12:21. It wasn't _too_ late. Maybe I should just get up and go online to look at houses in Stars Hollow. Or better yet, call Mom.

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AN: Good? Bad? Ugly? Whatever your opinion may be, let me know! I love hearing from you guys no matter what the verdict may be! I love honesty as long as it comes in the form of reviews and it's not mean! Be polite please guys! Thanks a bunch!

Mellie


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